A ban on feeding pigeons ruffles lots of feathers in Mumbai
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MUMBAI — For the past four decades, Mumbai resident Premlata Soni and her husband have fed the pigeons that flock around a reservoir known as the Bandra Lake. Sometimes, it's a few fistfuls of corn and millet grain; sometimes, an entire bag.
Even during the pandemic lockdown, Soni would sneak out to feed the birds. She sees it as part of her Hindu faith, a way of showing connection to the world around her. "God wants us to do it," she says.
God may want it — but Mumbai authorities do not.
Pro-pigeon vs. anti-pigeon
For years, the city has tried to battle what they see as the scourge of pigeons — a bird that has thrived in a city of skyscrapers by nesting in apartment air ducts and near air-conditioning units. The pigeons have also found patrons in Mumbai residents like Soni. Pigeon feeding is seen as a pastime in this teeming port city of 20 million, a salve to loneliness, a connection to
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